Hi-Tech Hijack

by Dov Nardimon

  “Orit is out of the country. Who’s asking?”

  “Eddie, I’m a friend from university.”

  “Oh, hello, Eddie. I’ve heard about you. You’re the one who went to Africa. Don’t you know Orit is in California in Santa Monica?”

  “Santa Monica? What is she doing there? I thought she was working for Biotec.com,” said Eddie, surprised.

  “I thought you knew the company moved there three months ago. Orit said you’re supposed to go there as well. I got the sense she was looking forward to you joining them there.”

  “I had no idea. I just got back from Africa. I didn’t know,” Eddie mumbled in bewilderment. “Could you give me her number there?”

  “Absolutely, I know she’d love to hear from you. Wait one moment while I find it”. It took a minute and then Orit’s mother was again on the phone. “Tell her Mom says hi. I won’t be talking to her until Saturday. And if you do fly over there, give her a warm hug and a kiss from me. I know she’s fond of you and won’t refuse a kiss from Mom with you as the delivery man.” Orit’s Jewish and concerned mother made a nudge in the right direction to help find a suitable match for her still-single twenty-six-year-old daughter.

  “Thanks. I will with pleasure.” Eddie went along to please the mother and said good-bye.

  It was still too early—2:00 p.m. in Israel—to call the United States, so Eddie spent the next few hours confused and quite angry. What happened to the company that was referred to as the big promise of the Israeli life sciences industry that caused it to transfer to the United States so quickly? Why wasn’t he informed? Then again, they had no way of contacting him. But he expected a letter to his parents’ house, at the very least, to inform him of the dramatic change. He leafed through the mail that had stacked up during his six-month absence but saw no envelope with the Biotec.com logo. He couldn’t bring himself to go through the mail properly and open the letters yet.

  He felt confused and deceived, as if he were taken for a fool. This wasn’t a feeling he wanted to share with anyone, so he chose not to call faculty friends who had graduated together with him and Orit and were already working for other companies in the field, friends who would probably be able to fill him in on what was going on with Biotec.com. He didn’t want to appear helpless like he’d been caught off guard because he knew that in this field there were scouts, headhunters, and human resources managers who would jump on the opportunity of snatching him up cheaply in a moment of weakness. He chose to wait ’til the evening and get the story straight from Orit.

  Chapter 9

  The phone in Orit’s apartment in Santa Monica rang at 8:00 a.m. sharp. She had already come back from her morning jog along the amazing boardwalk, winding down the low cliff overlooking the Pacific. The boardwalk adorned with twisted-trunked pine trees growing in all sorts of strange shapes and forms resembled an endless series of surreal environmental sculptors. The paths zigzagging between the trees and grass reminded Orit of the lanes at the kibbutz where she grew up. The resemblance ended however with the homeless people squatting under every third tree. This scene reminded Orit of what a cut-throat, demanding surrounding she was now living in—a place where those who do not fight, who do not have what it takes, do not survive.

  She took a shower and sat down with her usual cup of herbal tea before heading out to the central labs of Biogreen Company, situated in the eastern part of the city.

  “Good morning, Orit.” A voice greeted her in Hebrew without divulging its identity.

  “Good morning. Who’s this?” Orit asked, as she had gotten used to receiving calls from Israel only on the weekends.

  “Just some guy who’s missing a company and some company.”

  It took her no more than a second to realize who the speaker was. “Eddie! What’s up? When did you get back from Africa?” She was delighted to hear his voice.

  “I got back the other day, and I called the company today to schedule starting work next week, but couldn’t reach anyone. What’s going on?”

  “Don’t ask. I can laugh about it now, but I’ve had an awful couple of months before I even figured out what was what. Plus three more months of being here trying to get used to the new situation and enjoy it.”

  “So start at the beginning. What happened?”

  “What happens all over the hi-tech industry with these dodgy venture funds. The capital invested in us by the Israeli fund ran out much quicker than was planned .Then an American fund, one of the biggest in its field, took over the company by putting in an amount that gave it fifty-one percent of the shares. They’re backing many other companies obviously, but define us, Biotec.com that is, as the crown jewel of all their investments.”

  “Ok, but that still doesn’t explain why you moved to Santa Monica.”

  “The Americans adore Dr. Hakmon, and they offered him the position of the fund’s head scientist. He said they conditioned their investment on him taking the position and moving here. So for him to still be able to lead the company and manage the development, the decision was made to relocate the entire company. We were all given a relocation grant to cover all the expanses, a budget for three years of rent, and our paychecks are now in dollars, not shekels. Out of the entire group that was defined essential to development—that is fifteen of the thirty who were offered this arrangement—thirteen jumped at the opportunity. The only two who didn’t come did so because of family issues.”

  “So for a fistful of dollars the Israeli brain drain continues,” said Eddie, raining on Orit’s parade of excitement.

  “Eddie, come on. We live in a global, boundless world,” Orit answered with the appropriate cliché. “You can’t confine the knowledge to the borders of Israel. In any case, it was all American money to begin with. And the main target market is here, too.”

  “I didn’t realize you’d become an expert in accounting,” said Eddie cynically.

  “Don’t be nasty—it does not suit you. After the first shock of the relocation, I realized that few years here will contribute a lot to my career and to my CV. You will discover there are other nice and pleasant places to live in besides Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.”

  “I am not sure your mother would agree with you.” Eddie smiled, trying to get out of a tough discussion.

  “Well, who can blame her? She misses me and frankly, I feel the same way. And like every good Jewish mother, she’s worried I’ll meet some guy and marry off, so your coming here will decrease the chances of me wandering off into foreign territories. . .”

  “Is that an official marriage proposal?” asked Eddie, laughing shyly.

  “Come on, Eddie, be serious,” said Orit, ignoring his question. “Before we moved here, they asked me what I thought was the best way to let you know and if you would like to make the move as well. The director of human resources suggested that rather than sending an impersonal letter from the company I should write to you personally as a more pleasant way of learning of the surprise. I was happy to oblige and promised them I’d write to you as soon as I saw with my own eyes what it was like to be here, which was what I did. We really need you here, Eddie. We need someone with your skills to lead the team.”

  Eddie was flattered. He never realized how highly the beautiful Orit thought of him. He also never dared to think of her in romantic terms.

  “I never received any letter or notice from you.”

  “What? Don’t tell me you didn’t get my letter!”

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute. There’s a pile of unopened letters sitting on my desk at my parents’ house. I wanted to feel like I was still on vacation for a few more days before getting into the thick of things.”

  “So that didn’t work out exactly as planned. . . you could have saved yourself the shock, or at least be over it by now.”

  “No need to chase after bad news . . .”

  “I wish you didn’t see it that way. You should come here and see for yourself that you’re wrong about this. With the letter I sent you I enclosed
a form from the company with all the necessary details and information of whom you should contact in Israel in order to join us here.”

  “I just got back from Africa, and moving to the States hardly feels like something I want to do now. Plus this whole thing where the employees are puppets in Dr. Hakmon’s business opportunities doesn’t sound like something I’d want to be part of.”

  “And what about me, Eddie?” Orit asked in a flirty tone.

  “Are you asking for real?” Eddie hesitated.

  “Of course I am!”

  “Orit, we studied together for six years, and you never gave me the slightest signal. You were with that guy from social studies and had all those other guys following you around. So where is this coming from?”

  “Things between me and Yoni, the guy from social studies, ended a long time ago at the beginning of last year. And if you were a bit more sensitive, you’d have noticed I spent pretty much the entire final year of our studies trying to get close to you. Why do you think I joined Biotec.com in the first place?”

  “Orit, I’m totally blown away. Why am I hearing of this just now?”

  “Read my letter and you’ll understand.”

  “Perhaps I should do that because right now all I’m feeling is confusion and anger.”

  “At me, Eddie?”

  “No, absolutely not! At myself, at Dr. Hakmon for playing with people’s lives, and just in general.”

  The two of them fell into an awkward silence, and then Eddie spoke in a softer tone. “Let’s say good-bye for now. You’re probably late for work, and I have a lot of thinking to do. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “I get up early. You can call me at six thirty a.m. here. I’ll give up my morning jog for you.”

  “What’s with all this running? Has the American junk food already taken its toll on your figure?”

  “Laugh all you want, but I’m fighting tooth and nail.”

  “I’m sure you’re just as beautiful and attractive as you’ve ever been.”

  “Wow, a compliment from Eddie at last! You’ve made my day.” And before he could comment, she said, “So we’ll talk tomorrow. I really do have to run.” She hung up before any more talking could break away the magic that began forming between them.

  Chapter 10

  After talking to Orit, Eddie felt even more confused. During the entire time he was traveling through Africa, the job at Biotec.com was the one constant anchor that brought him back to reality. Whenever another adventurous idea popped into his mind, knowing he had that job waiting for him was what ensured his timely return to Israel. Even the short romance with Rose delayed his return no more than a week. And yet now everything was suddenly changed: his place of employment ran off to the States and his friend, the beautiful Orit, was confessing her attraction to him and asking him to join her there. He wondered how he could have been so blind as to miss out on all the signals of her interest in him. Did he think so little of himself that he couldn’t even fathom someone like Orit would be interested in him?

  Orit had been an excellent student, but in Eddie’s eyes, she always looked easygoing and somewhat frivolous. She seemed to care most about going to parties and hanging out with friends, and there was always a group of lackeys surrounding her, happy to run any errand or help in any way just to be near her. And she, the queen of the faculty, did her part by gracing each fan with a smile, a compliment, or a little hug while still remaining unattainable. Eddie never went along with that collective game. He was not cut out for that sort of thing and never imagined Orit could want him.

  Eddie never ruled out the possibility of spending an extensive period of time abroad as part of his career path, but this was too soon. He thought it would be better as a second or third position, if he ever came round to it, before realizing his own independent dream. He thought of his parents who would be left in Israel all alone with nothing more than his brother’s grave to keep them company after both his sisters had already left the country for an indefinite amount of time.

  Orit’s enthusiasm for life in Santa Monica rubbed him the wrong way. It sounded premature—a superficial infatuation with all that glitters in the ultimate land of opportunities, which went quite well with his perception of her. But what started to sound appealing was the way she felt about him, the way she so explicitly wanted him to come. He wondered how lonely she was. Was her attraction toward him real or did she simply needed someone and set her heart on him, a colleague, a classmate whom she had gotten along with? He had all these questions piling up and not one definitive answer. He went back to his room and started going through the stack of mail. He left Orit’s letter until last, allowing himself some time for everything to sink in.

  The evening rolled by slowly. He lay in his room, Orit’s letter in hand, staring at the ceiling. He read it several times and was convinced that asking him to join her there was not a spur-of-the-moment whim, but something that had been building up for a long time. Between the lines, he could make out that it was really Orit’s doing that he did not receive a formal letter from the company. She chose to seize the opportunity and open her heart to him.

  “Eddie, are you having dinner with us?” asked his mom, Rachel, as she opened the door and interrupted his thoughts.

  “I’m not hungry, but I’ll sit with you. I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Ok, well, I’ll set a plate for you just in case.” She smiled and went back downstairs.

  “So what was it you wanted to tell us, Eddie?” his mom asked as dinner was almost over. Eddie, who was not hungry, had already finished his second serving.

  “Biotec.com has moved to California and is no long operating out of Israel. Most of its employees have transferred there, and they’re asking me to do the same.”

  A silent surprise filled the kitchen until his mom spoke up. “And what do you think?”

  “My initial reaction was that I really don’t feel like it. But I’m not sure. I’m having a hard time thinking of working for a long time abroad, even though in today’s industry nothing lasts for more than a few years. And I hate the feeling of being a pawn in this big game. Just because some fund invested in the company my life shouldn’t be affected. I’m really disappointed with Dr. Hakmon calling on us to join him in this mission that would benefit the nation and then switching nations for his own personal good and expecting us to follow. I think this industry leader is starting to look more and more like the Pied Piper.”

  “But you were the one who explained to us this is the way things are in hi-tech, that nothing is permanent except for constant change,” insisted his dad, Arye.

  “I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to be ok with it. And also, what are you trying to tell me? That you’d be fine with me going away for several years?”

  “You know we’d rather have you here, Eddie. It isn’t easy for us. Your sisters followed their husbands to the United States for what was supposed to be three years and have been stuck there for almost a decade, and we only get to see the kids twice a year. But you have to do what’s best for you professionally. Unlike your sisters, you’re not following anyone, I hope, and I’m confident you’ll know when enough is enough and come back in time.” His mom surprised him by sensing with her female and maternal intuition that matters of the heart also played a part in his dilemma.

  “Right, but keep in mind this wasn’t the only company that was after you. I’d look into some of the other options here in Israel if I were you,” his father chimed in. As the son of pioneers who settled the land and dried the swamps of Hefer Valley back in the 1930s, Arye raised his children to believe that leaving Israel was the act of a defeatist, and he could not stop agonizing over the failure of having his daughters live abroad. In Arye’s eyes life’s calling was to give back to your country and to be the best in whatever you do. As a boy Eddie always knew he couldn’t ride his bike to the beach with his friends before he finished his chores, hoeing the soil, or driving the tractor to bring the milk to t
he village center—tasks that contributed to the building of the land. For Eddie, executing every task perfectly became second nature and failing to live up to his father’s high standards was a weakness he could not allow.

  He chose not to say anything about Orit. He assumed his mother had noticed the envelope from California but respected his privacy and did not pry. He did not tell them about Rose either. Being away from home for many years during his army service and the studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem created a distance between Eddie and his parents’ day-to-day life, and they learned not to bother him with questions like any curious parent would normally do whenever he came home. Eddie never even shared with them his dream of independently starting his own company and leveraging the Ebola virus to fight cancer.

  The more he thought of moving to the States, the more he realized the main attraction was Orit. But frankly, what did he really know about her? He felt extremely flattered by her pursuit of him, but they were never that close or shared anything other than their studies. Orit was the object of desire of every man on the faculty, but after all, desire and love were two very different things. Was she the kind of person he could love, or was she just a trophy anyone would be proud of so he should snatch her up now that she was ready, willing, and able?

  He paid no mind to the job itself or the professional challenge it may present. America simply did not appeal to him at this point in life. He felt he could not make a sensible decision and that he needed to get some air. He took his parents’ truck and headed to Tel Aviv. It was 10:30 p.m. The roads were clear, and in half an hour, he was in Udi’s pub, where his army friends would meet on the weekends. Even though it was a weekday, he thought he’d find someone to talk to there. Anyone would do, really, as long as they would help clear his head for a bit.